Joyce's Kitchen- Joyce back in action in Newmarket

Although it was very unfortunate to see Joyce have to close Joyce's Kitchen in downtown Newmarket this year, I have great news! Joyce is back in action! She is now serving Breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays from 6am to 11am at the Rockingham Country Club at 200 Exeter Road. Although they have a limited menu there now as this weekend is only their 4th weekend serving up sunshine there, I am sure that once the word is out, they will be rocking and rolling with more of their menu items we remember from her kitchen. It's good to have you cooking in the kitchen for us again Joyce!

MOJO'S BBQ-Portsmouth & N.Hampton, NH

Maurice Buckley (MO) and Aaron Jones are very familiar faces
here around the Seacoast of NH. They finally took a giant leap together and opened Mojo's BBQ. Maurice says his father is the
person that taught him everything he knows about the BBQ

business and it all started when he was 10. Lucky us!

I think a the key ingredient that Mojo's has that many seacoast restaurants are lacking is good customer service. When I visit them, I always feel welcomed and they make me feel that my

business is appreciated. The secret here is the sauce. It's sweeter than it is spicy and

it is finger licking good! I always tend to lean towards sweet or tangy sauce vs. spicy when it comes to BBQ and they have it covered here! The sauce is called Big Moe's Arkansawce and is rightly named after Maurices dad. Mo has been selling it for about 7 years and it is available in retailers around the seacoast and of course at the two Mojo locations. I recently visited Mo at their new N.Hampton location on Rt. 1 and was glad to see them already growing. They took over a small space that use to be a catering company so the seating is limited to a few tables on the porch outside, but of course you can always order some great tasting ribs to go! I would recommend the chicken wings, the BBQ chicken and the the pulled pork sandwich. The side dishes range from mac and cheese to greens and all filled with southern flavors. The only side I am not a big fan of is the baked beans which I find to be a little too soupy (sorry fellas). Although Mojo's isn't a smoke house BBQ joint, its well worth the visit when your up for some good food at reasonable prices!

Lattitudes at Wentworth By The Sea

Enjoy a light-hearted take on the region's culinary bounty in the comfortable atmosphere of this marina-side restaurant. At the bar near the fireplace, by the tall windows or out on the teak deck, the bistro style menu features local ingredients prepared with flair and presented with full attention to detail. This is one of my favorite if not my favorite seasonal restaurant on the Seacoast of NH. It opens around Memorial Day weekend and finishes up its season around Labor Day weekend. I truly look forward to seeing what's new on the menu as well as enjoying the comfort of the menu gems that are standard. Sitting up on the 2nd floor deck this past Memorial Day with friends, I began my meal with the Tasting of Grilled Stone Fruit small plate. It is new to the menu this year and was excellent. There was a peach half, a nectarine half and a plum half each with crumbled Great Hill Blue Cheese and a smear of pine nut puree. For my main course, I indulged in what is my first Lobster (LOBSTAH if you are a true New Englander) Roll ($19) of the summer season. I opted for the double side of the fresh made Apple Cabbage Slow over french fries and enjoyed every bite! They don't hold back on over stuffing the bun which is served open face. I recommend a few dishes that are always available which are the Bite Size Angus Burgers (3 for $10) off of the small plates menu and then the Ocean Breeze salad with either the Lobster Salad ($18) or the always delicious Toasted Almond Chicken Salad ($12). One more special dish I would like to mention is the very well known Latitudes "Raw Bar" which is a tower of chilled, poached Maine lobster, jumbo shrimp, Oysters, Alaskan King Crab Legs with a side of Tomato Horseradish Sauce. This delectable dish has plenty on it to share and runs at market price. I foresee a wonder season yet again along the water at Latitudes. Cheers!

Zorvino Vineyards Wine Dinners

Zorvino Vineyards
Main St.
Sandown, NH
http://www.Zorvino.com/



I recently attended Zorvino Vineyards first Price Buster wine dinner of 2008 with some friends on the eve of May 23rd. The dinner was held in their function hall facility which is very impressive and has the look and feel inside of a mountain lodge. The Price Buster dinner we attended was their Spring Fling dinner and the cost for the meal and wine pairing was only $25.00 each so we figured why not give it a whirl! We arrived about 15 minutes early for the 6:30pm dinner start time and enjoyed drinks from the bar at reasonable prices and munched on some fruit, veggies, cheese and crackers while all the guests arrived. The hall filled up with about 50 plus guest and our host was Zorvinos wine guru (Director) Tom Zack. The meal was four courses and each was wonderful! We started off with a Mussel & Leek Soup which was paired with a 2007 Eco Domani Collezioni Pinot Grigio. This soup was delish! It was a puree of roasted leeks, potatoes and had steamed mussels in it. This was followed by a Cool Strawberry & Black Pepper Flatbread paired with a 2007 Zorvnio Fragole Z (which totally has a fresh strawberry taste to it). The Flatbread was a mini pita and although it was a little too tough to cut with your knife, my table dug right in and ate it like a slice of pizza! This was followed by the main course of a Spicy Cornish Game Hen with wild long grain rice and sauteed Fiddleheads paired with a 2005 Gloria Ferrer Carneros Chardonnay. The Hen was cooked perfectly and although it can be a little messy for formal dining, it was very flavorful and good choice for an entree. The meal was finished with a Fire Roasted Bartlett Pear with brown sugar & honey marscapone cheese paired with the 2008 Zorvino Razzberry Delight. I think all had a great time and with the prices of gas and the cost of just about EVERYTHING on the rise, it was nice to see the people out enjoying a meal and a great price! I highly recommend you keep your eye out for Zorvinos Wine Dinners and Events, they were worth every penny and then some!

Brothers North Restaurant-CLOSED 12/24/09

Brothers North

845 Lafayette Rd.

Hampton, NH

Brothers North is a Greek and American food restaurant set up cafeteria style. Ever been to a Morrisons? well, this place isn't nearly as good, but runs on the same idea. You pick up your tray and silverware on one end and slide on down the line picking out what you would like to eat. Although the staff was for the most part friendly, it isn't enough of a good thing to get me to go back in. I was there for dinner and the portions are HUGE, but they are definitely cutting quality here for quantity. I had the Kotopita (chicken pie in Fillo dough) and I pulled out at least 4 good sized pieces of bones and so did one of my dining partners. The Kotopita was really dry too. The side order of Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) was good, but the meat inside of them with the rice was undercooked. It also took them 20 mins to bring out my side order without an apology for lateness. I found the other diners there were more into the American food plates vs. the Greek, but I don't see Brothers North packing them in. They just started serving breakfast which could be a good fit for them in the area but with some really good diners around I doubt it. I say, if its good Greek food you are seeking, seek it elsewhere.